Toyota has done it! Tops GM in Global Sales! (merged threads)
04-25-07, 01:09 AM
#1
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Toyota has done it! Tops GM in Global Sales! (merged threads)
They have outsold GM in the first quarter of this year. They have surpassed GM as the No. 1 car maker in the world. Came as an alert on the news wire.
Last edited by dsp979; 04-25-07 at 10:54 AM.
04-25-07, 01:22 AM
#2
Lexus Connoisseur
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/...ap3643492.html
Toyota Tops GM in 1Q Global Sales
By HANS GREIMEL 04.24.07, 3:17 AM ET
Toyota Motor Corp. became the world's top auto seller in the first three months of the year, passing rival General Motors Corp. for the first time, the Japanese automaker said Tuesday.
Toyota (nyse: TM - news - people ) sold 2.348 million vehicles worldwide in the January-March quarter, company spokesman Satoshi Yamaguchi said, surpassing the 2.26 million vehicles that GM said it sold during the same period.
The results mark the first time Toyota has beat GM in global sales on a quarterly basis, he said.
While the figures represent only quarterly sales results, they foreshadow a tough challenge for GM as it fights to hold onto its title as world's top automaker - a claim usually staked on annual production figures.
In 2006, Toyota's global output surged 10 percent to 9.018 million vehicles, while GM produced 9.18 million vehicles worldwide - a gap of about 162,000.
Toyota has been gaining steadily on GM in recent years, and analysts have been saying it is only a matter of time before it eclipses its Detroit-based rival, which has seen its market share shrink in the United States even as it leads sales in China.
While GM has struggled to shore up earnings with job cuts and plant closures, Toyota has expanded rapidly, thanks partly to the popularity of its fuel-efficient cars, including the Camry, Corolla and Prius gas-electric hybrid.
GM, meanwhile, cut production last year as high fuel prices drove people away from its trucks and sport utility vehicles.
In the American market, Toyota's sales rose 12.9 percent last year, catapulting it past DaimlerChrysler AG (nyse: DCX - news - people ) as the No. 3 seller of autos in the U.S. Toyota's share of the U.S. market climbed to 16 percent in March, behind GM's 22 percent, and Ford Motor Co. (nyse: F - news - people )'s 17 percent.
A copy of Toyota's "global master plan" leaked to the news media late last year calls for grabbing 15 percent of the world car market by 2010 in the company's quest to unseat GM as the top producer.
In terms of production in the first quarter, Toyota made 2.367 million vehicles worldwide, up 2.6 percent from the same period last year. GM had expected to produce 2.335 million.
Toyota's shares fell 0.54 percent Tuesday to close at 7,370 yen ($62.46) on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Credit: The Associated Press
Toyota Tops GM in 1Q Global Sales
By HANS GREIMEL 04.24.07, 3:17 AM ET
Toyota Motor Corp. became the world's top auto seller in the first three months of the year, passing rival General Motors Corp. for the first time, the Japanese automaker said Tuesday.
Toyota (nyse: TM - news - people ) sold 2.348 million vehicles worldwide in the January-March quarter, company spokesman Satoshi Yamaguchi said, surpassing the 2.26 million vehicles that GM said it sold during the same period.
The results mark the first time Toyota has beat GM in global sales on a quarterly basis, he said.
While the figures represent only quarterly sales results, they foreshadow a tough challenge for GM as it fights to hold onto its title as world's top automaker - a claim usually staked on annual production figures.
In 2006, Toyota's global output surged 10 percent to 9.018 million vehicles, while GM produced 9.18 million vehicles worldwide - a gap of about 162,000.
Toyota has been gaining steadily on GM in recent years, and analysts have been saying it is only a matter of time before it eclipses its Detroit-based rival, which has seen its market share shrink in the United States even as it leads sales in China.
While GM has struggled to shore up earnings with job cuts and plant closures, Toyota has expanded rapidly, thanks partly to the popularity of its fuel-efficient cars, including the Camry, Corolla and Prius gas-electric hybrid.
GM, meanwhile, cut production last year as high fuel prices drove people away from its trucks and sport utility vehicles.
In the American market, Toyota's sales rose 12.9 percent last year, catapulting it past DaimlerChrysler AG (nyse: DCX - news - people ) as the No. 3 seller of autos in the U.S. Toyota's share of the U.S. market climbed to 16 percent in March, behind GM's 22 percent, and Ford Motor Co. (nyse: F - news - people )'s 17 percent.
A copy of Toyota's "global master plan" leaked to the news media late last year calls for grabbing 15 percent of the world car market by 2010 in the company's quest to unseat GM as the top producer.
In terms of production in the first quarter, Toyota made 2.367 million vehicles worldwide, up 2.6 percent from the same period last year. GM had expected to produce 2.335 million.
Toyota's shares fell 0.54 percent Tuesday to close at 7,370 yen ($62.46) on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Credit: The Associated Press
04-25-07, 01:24 AM
#3
Lexus Connoisseur
Toyota Surpasses GM in Global Sales in First Quarter (Update3)
By Kae Inoue and Tetsuya Komatsu
April 24 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp. sold more cars and trucks than General Motors Corp. for the first time in the January-March quarter, on demand for Corolla and Camry sedans.
Toyota's global sales rose 9.2 percent to 2.35 million vehicles, the company said today. Sales at GM, the world's largest carmaker for 76 years, gained 3 percent to 2.26 million vehicles, the company said on its Web site.
The addition of its sixth North American factory in San Antonio last year helped spur Toyota's sales in the U.S., GM's home market. Demand for Toyota's fuel-efficient vehicles, including the Prius gasoline-electric hybrid, has surged as sales of GM's light trucks have slumped on higher fuel prices.
``Toyota was poised to top GM sooner or later because its momentum is much stronger than GM's,'' said Ichiro Takamatsu, a chief investment officer at Alphex Investments Co. in Tokyo. ``I'm not worried that this will cause trade conflicts, as Toyota is creating jobs by building new plants in the U.S.''
Toyota's sales in the U.S. grew 13 percent to 2.54 million last year, prodding it to set up more factories. The carmaker in February said it will open its eighth North American factory in Mississippi in 2010 to build Highlander sport-utility vehicles.
GM Chief Executive ``Rick Wagoner has said that one month or one quarter doesn't make a trend,'' said Julie Hamp, a GM spokeswoman in Zurich. ``They are formidable competitors, but our intention is to maintain leadership.''
``Not the Goal''
Toyota sales include those of subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd. Toyota group sales should grow 6 percent to 9.34 million vehicles in 2007, the carmaker said in December. Production in 2007 will rise 4 percent to 9.42 million vehicles.
Surpassing GM is ``not the goal and it will only be a result of what we've been doing,'' said Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe on Dec. 22.
Toyota, which probably earned more than any other company in Japan last fiscal year, is forecast by some industry analysts to surpass GM to become the world's largest automaker on an annual basis this year aided by its fuel-efficient models including the RAV4 SUV, Yaris compact car, and Prius hybrid.
GM's shares have increased 41 percent in the past 12 months through yesterday as the company offered workers buyouts and took other revival steps.
Shares of Toyota, which have slumped 7 percent this year, fell 0.5 percent to 7,370 yen at the end of trading in Tokyo, giving the company a market value more than 13 times the size of GM. GM stock fell 3.2 percent to $30.67 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading yesterday.
U.S. Sales
``It was obvious that Toyota was going to beat GM this year, but this is much earlier than expected,'' said Yasuhiro Matsumoto, a senior analyst at Shinsei Securities Co. in Tokyo. ``It's probably the first time Toyota beat GM in quarterly sales.''
Toyota makes Tundra pickup trucks at its new Texas factory and is building its seventh North American plant in Ontario, Canada. The company has said it plans to be able to build 2 million vehicles a year in North America by 2008, up from about 1.5 million in 2006.
Toyota increased capital spending by 1.4 percent to a record 1.55 trillion yen ($13.1 billion) in the year ended in March from a year ago. The automaker is also boosting production in countries including Russia, China and Thailand.
The carmaker has forecast net income probably rose 13 percent to 1.55 trillion yen in the year ended March 31, while sales probably gained 10 percent to 23.2 trillion yen.
GM's Profit
GM last month reported net income of $950 million, its second quarterly profit in two years, after it closed plants, eliminated jobs and trimmed health-care spending to overcome more than $12 billion in losses in 2005 and 2006. GM has been losing U.S. market share as buyers shift to car and sport- utility vehicle models that favor Toyota and other rivals.
Pump prices for gasoline in the U.S. rose 33 percent in the past 11 weeks, the fastest rate of gain since a six-week, 34 percent rally to the record $3.069 in September 2005, Energy Department data show.
Toyota's U.S. market share rose 1.8 points to 15.6 percent in the quarter, compared with a 1.1 point drop at GM and 2.2 points decline at Ford.
``Toyota has been successful in introducing about 10 new models every year, while GM has been slow,'' said Koji Endo, a senior analyst at Credit Suisse Group in Tokyo. ``GM is slowing down in North America, while in Europe, its Opel brand is weak. The only strong market in Asia at the moment is in China.''
GM may increase production to as many as 1.7 million vehicles by 2010 from about 900,000 now in China, its largest overseas market. The Detroit-based carmaker said last year its investment in the world's fastest-growing major car market may exceed $1 billion annually. Wagoner is seeking to boost sales in emerging markets such as Russia, India and China.
Credit: Bloomberg News
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...qEY&refer=asia
By Kae Inoue and Tetsuya Komatsu
April 24 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp. sold more cars and trucks than General Motors Corp. for the first time in the January-March quarter, on demand for Corolla and Camry sedans.
Toyota's global sales rose 9.2 percent to 2.35 million vehicles, the company said today. Sales at GM, the world's largest carmaker for 76 years, gained 3 percent to 2.26 million vehicles, the company said on its Web site.
The addition of its sixth North American factory in San Antonio last year helped spur Toyota's sales in the U.S., GM's home market. Demand for Toyota's fuel-efficient vehicles, including the Prius gasoline-electric hybrid, has surged as sales of GM's light trucks have slumped on higher fuel prices.
``Toyota was poised to top GM sooner or later because its momentum is much stronger than GM's,'' said Ichiro Takamatsu, a chief investment officer at Alphex Investments Co. in Tokyo. ``I'm not worried that this will cause trade conflicts, as Toyota is creating jobs by building new plants in the U.S.''
Toyota's sales in the U.S. grew 13 percent to 2.54 million last year, prodding it to set up more factories. The carmaker in February said it will open its eighth North American factory in Mississippi in 2010 to build Highlander sport-utility vehicles.
GM Chief Executive ``Rick Wagoner has said that one month or one quarter doesn't make a trend,'' said Julie Hamp, a GM spokeswoman in Zurich. ``They are formidable competitors, but our intention is to maintain leadership.''
``Not the Goal''
Toyota sales include those of subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd. Toyota group sales should grow 6 percent to 9.34 million vehicles in 2007, the carmaker said in December. Production in 2007 will rise 4 percent to 9.42 million vehicles.
Surpassing GM is ``not the goal and it will only be a result of what we've been doing,'' said Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe on Dec. 22.
Toyota, which probably earned more than any other company in Japan last fiscal year, is forecast by some industry analysts to surpass GM to become the world's largest automaker on an annual basis this year aided by its fuel-efficient models including the RAV4 SUV, Yaris compact car, and Prius hybrid.
GM's shares have increased 41 percent in the past 12 months through yesterday as the company offered workers buyouts and took other revival steps.
Shares of Toyota, which have slumped 7 percent this year, fell 0.5 percent to 7,370 yen at the end of trading in Tokyo, giving the company a market value more than 13 times the size of GM. GM stock fell 3.2 percent to $30.67 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading yesterday.
U.S. Sales
``It was obvious that Toyota was going to beat GM this year, but this is much earlier than expected,'' said Yasuhiro Matsumoto, a senior analyst at Shinsei Securities Co. in Tokyo. ``It's probably the first time Toyota beat GM in quarterly sales.''
Toyota makes Tundra pickup trucks at its new Texas factory and is building its seventh North American plant in Ontario, Canada. The company has said it plans to be able to build 2 million vehicles a year in North America by 2008, up from about 1.5 million in 2006.
Toyota increased capital spending by 1.4 percent to a record 1.55 trillion yen ($13.1 billion) in the year ended in March from a year ago. The automaker is also boosting production in countries including Russia, China and Thailand.
The carmaker has forecast net income probably rose 13 percent to 1.55 trillion yen in the year ended March 31, while sales probably gained 10 percent to 23.2 trillion yen.
GM's Profit
GM last month reported net income of $950 million, its second quarterly profit in two years, after it closed plants, eliminated jobs and trimmed health-care spending to overcome more than $12 billion in losses in 2005 and 2006. GM has been losing U.S. market share as buyers shift to car and sport- utility vehicle models that favor Toyota and other rivals.
Pump prices for gasoline in the U.S. rose 33 percent in the past 11 weeks, the fastest rate of gain since a six-week, 34 percent rally to the record $3.069 in September 2005, Energy Department data show.
Toyota's U.S. market share rose 1.8 points to 15.6 percent in the quarter, compared with a 1.1 point drop at GM and 2.2 points decline at Ford.
``Toyota has been successful in introducing about 10 new models every year, while GM has been slow,'' said Koji Endo, a senior analyst at Credit Suisse Group in Tokyo. ``GM is slowing down in North America, while in Europe, its Opel brand is weak. The only strong market in Asia at the moment is in China.''
GM may increase production to as many as 1.7 million vehicles by 2010 from about 900,000 now in China, its largest overseas market. The Detroit-based carmaker said last year its investment in the world's fastest-growing major car market may exceed $1 billion annually. Wagoner is seeking to boost sales in emerging markets such as Russia, India and China.
Credit: Bloomberg News
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...qEY&refer=asia
04-25-07, 04:19 AM
#4
Lexus Champion
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Redondo Beach, CA
Posts: 2,212
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I love the fact that Toyota isn't focused on selling cars. At every level of their leadership I hear them saying things like their focus is on building a quality product--the sales will take care of themselves. Bingo!
04-25-07, 05:58 AM
#7
Lexus Fanatic
OK, Guys...Here it is. The News You All Knew was Coming.
Hail, Mary, full of grace.
GM is now in second place.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...l?hpid=topnews
Toyota Tops Auto Industry as Sales Surpass GM
By Howard Schneider
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 24, 2007; 7:48 AM
General Motors Corp.'s 70 years atop the global automotive industry ended in the first three months of this year when its sales slipped behind those of Japanese industrial giant Toyota Motor Corp.
Driven by sales of its gas-efficient Camry and hybrid Prius models, Toyota reported global sales of 2.35 million vehicles in the first quarter of 2007, about 90,000 more vehicles than the quarterly sales reported by GM late last week.
Industry analysts expect the trend to hold up for the full year, a turning point long anticipated by those who track Toyota's steadily increasing market share and popularity with consumers.
"I won't say the trend is impossible to reverse, but it's extremely difficult," said Koji Endo, an analyst for Credit Suisse in Tokyo, in an interview with the Associated Press.
Though GM is enjoying a resurgence of sorts -- with record sales in the first three months, rapid growth in China, and a corporate restructuring that has helped restore profitability -- Toyota's momentum in key markets like the U.S. may prove hard for Detroit to match.
Toyota now has six manufacturing plants in the U.S., with two others planned. It is the No. 3 automaker in the U.S., with a 16 percent market share that puts it ahead of the Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler and just behind Ford Motor Co. GM remains the top U.S. automaker, with about 22 percent of the American market.
Globally, Toyota's first quarter sales increased more than 9 percent over the same period a year earlier, compared to a roughly 3 percent increase for GM.
Toyota's rise into the No. 1 spot comes at a complex time for the automotive industry.
The number of U.S. manufacturing jobs continues to fall, and the decline of an American corporate icon to a No. 2 position in the world could ignite nationalist sentiment against Toyota.
The Japanese company has tried to downplay its success, saying its concern is to make quality cars, not be the biggest in the world. Earlier this month, the company appointed North American division president James Press to its board of directors -- the first non-Japanese allowed into that inner circle. That move was seen as part of an effort by Toyota to portray itself as a more international company.
At the same time, Congress is debating new vehicle-efficiency standards that could put U.S. automakers at a further disadvantage. The U.S. auto industry has fended off such changes for more than two decades, but increased concern about global warming and the environment has now led even industry-friendly lawmakers to agree that fuel-efficiency improvements are needed.
GM is now in second place.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...l?hpid=topnews
Toyota Tops Auto Industry as Sales Surpass GM
By Howard Schneider
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 24, 2007; 7:48 AM
General Motors Corp.'s 70 years atop the global automotive industry ended in the first three months of this year when its sales slipped behind those of Japanese industrial giant Toyota Motor Corp.
Driven by sales of its gas-efficient Camry and hybrid Prius models, Toyota reported global sales of 2.35 million vehicles in the first quarter of 2007, about 90,000 more vehicles than the quarterly sales reported by GM late last week.
Industry analysts expect the trend to hold up for the full year, a turning point long anticipated by those who track Toyota's steadily increasing market share and popularity with consumers.
"I won't say the trend is impossible to reverse, but it's extremely difficult," said Koji Endo, an analyst for Credit Suisse in Tokyo, in an interview with the Associated Press.
Though GM is enjoying a resurgence of sorts -- with record sales in the first three months, rapid growth in China, and a corporate restructuring that has helped restore profitability -- Toyota's momentum in key markets like the U.S. may prove hard for Detroit to match.
Toyota now has six manufacturing plants in the U.S., with two others planned. It is the No. 3 automaker in the U.S., with a 16 percent market share that puts it ahead of the Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler and just behind Ford Motor Co. GM remains the top U.S. automaker, with about 22 percent of the American market.
Globally, Toyota's first quarter sales increased more than 9 percent over the same period a year earlier, compared to a roughly 3 percent increase for GM.
Toyota's rise into the No. 1 spot comes at a complex time for the automotive industry.
The number of U.S. manufacturing jobs continues to fall, and the decline of an American corporate icon to a No. 2 position in the world could ignite nationalist sentiment against Toyota.
The Japanese company has tried to downplay its success, saying its concern is to make quality cars, not be the biggest in the world. Earlier this month, the company appointed North American division president James Press to its board of directors -- the first non-Japanese allowed into that inner circle. That move was seen as part of an effort by Toyota to portray itself as a more international company.
At the same time, Congress is debating new vehicle-efficiency standards that could put U.S. automakers at a further disadvantage. The U.S. auto industry has fended off such changes for more than two decades, but increased concern about global warming and the environment has now led even industry-friendly lawmakers to agree that fuel-efficiency improvements are needed.
Last edited by mmarshall; 04-25-07 at 06:04 AM.
Trending Topics
This is a very big day for the company.
04-25-07, 06:15 AM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
MaxNine may have beaten both of us to the punch. I suspect we'll see this news posted a dozen times here on CL today.
Last edited by mmarshall; 04-25-07 at 06:19 AM.
04-25-07, 06:28 AM
#13
Pole Position
I think this is good for GM, now they can stop worrying about being #1 and focus on getting better.
In the long run consumers will get better cars from GM and Toyota. Any back lash will be short lived but Toyota needs to focus on quality and it continues to grow. Toyota will take the heat when things go wrong in the auto world.
Who know's GM may even get back to the top spot again.
In the long run consumers will get better cars from GM and Toyota. Any back lash will be short lived but Toyota needs to focus on quality and it continues to grow. Toyota will take the heat when things go wrong in the auto world.
Who know's GM may even get back to the top spot again.
Last edited by jimxo; 04-25-07 at 06:32 AM.
04-25-07, 06:40 AM
#14
Lead Lap
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Virginia
Posts: 584
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"GM is struggling to make money. It lost $3 billion in 2006 and $12 billion the year before."
it's gonna be tough to rebound, or to break even from previous loses
i didn't read the whole article but this stats is only within the US right?
what about worldwide?
i understand GM and toyota also have strong present in south america as well?
it's gonna be tough to rebound, or to break even from previous loses
i didn't read the whole article but this stats is only within the US right?
what about worldwide?
i understand GM and toyota also have strong present in south america as well?
